Serendipity Library Update 20030123

[Rob Cozens]

Hi All,

Serendipity Library Update 20030123 is now available at http://www.oenolog.com/ftp/serendipity_downloader.htm

This update includes a new developer's plugIn, Rev_Vise.rev.

Rev_Vise is basically a repackaging of a subset of SDB_Utilities menuItems for gzip compression & expansion OF INDIVIDUAL FILES (recursion is not my strong suit...if anyone would like to add support for nested folders, go for it). Rev_Vise also supports SDB_Utilities text file conversion, which converts "Read Me" & documentation text file line endings to those appropriate to a particular platform. Like Click_Clock, Rev_Vise is scripted to be independent of Serendipity_Library; however Rev_Vise uses the Library's language translation files for multi-lingual support.

This may sound a bit hypocritical coming from one who just ranted about having to download new updates of Stuffit Expander, but I offer SDB_Utilities' .sgz format as a standard for transfer of Revolution stacks.

So far as I know, (a) there is currently no compression/expansion format supported cross-platform in Revolution except gzip, and (b) the only free gzip utility offered to the Revolution community is SDB_Utilities/Rev_Vise.

The .sgz format specification is:

1. File data fork
2. File resource fork (if any)
3. Start of Footer (numToChar(29)) [Expansion logic starts at the end of the decompressed data and reads backwards until SOF.]
4. All information about the file returned by the detailed files function, including any information added in future releases

in gzip format.

Compress a File includes transparent logic add appropriate creator/file type codes to Unix & Windows files with .txt, .mc (MetaCard), and .rev suffixes.

Expand a File includes logic to ask for a creator/file type if none is present and the platform expects it. In addition, it will not expand a file with a resource fork on a platform that does not support it. [Oops, could this cause a problem in OS X? I may have to make this a warning instead of a lock out.]

Beyond multi-file support, what is missing? Perhaps a base64 or other encryption option? That shouldn't be too difficult to add.

I think a cross-platform Revolution file transfer protocol is need, and that Serendipity's .sgz offering could be it...especially if Kevin would like to distribute it with the Revolution package.

Rob Cozens

God bless the French & Germans!
War should never be a first resort.
True peace cannot exist in a world where the most powerful nation is also its most malevolent.
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